Published: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 6:38 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 6:38 p.m.

TALLAHASSEE — Florida Gov. Rick Scott is in the middle of a tug-of-war over education that could reshape the state's schools while also turning upside down the 2016 presidential race.

The Republican governor in recent weeks has refused to come out strongly in favor of Florida's transition to new standards known also as the Common Core State Standards, which have been adopted by 45 states and the District of Columbia.

Supporters of Common Core contend there is a long list of misperceptions and myths surrounding the new standards, which set uniform benchmarks for reading, writing and math. The standards are a result of an initiative sponsored by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. Opponents see them as the nationalization of education policy and standards, something they say should be left to the states.

Scott has backed the standards in the past, but as controversy over them has mounted, particularly among some Republicans, he has steadily begun to side-step questions about them.

These new standards are backed by former Gov. Jeb Bush, who helped create the state's current A-to-F grading system while in office from 1999 to 2007. It would be a huge defeat to Bush's potential presidential campaign if his own home state suddenly changed directions on education, an area where he is seen as a leader.

Backing away from the standards would also require a wave of changes in Florida's schools as well as a change in state law.

But Republicans across the state who will be critical to Scott's re-election are beginning to line up in opposition to the standards. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, also a potential presidential candidate, has come out against them. Meanwhile, a rift is also growing over the standards in the Florida Legislature.

Common Core opponents have already detected an opening with the governor.

"I do believe that the governor is starting to see some of the problems specifically with Common Core," said Randy Osborne, who works with the group Florida Parents Against Common Core but it also chairman of the Marion County Republican Party.

Osborne was among a handful of Common Core opponents who Scott invited last month to the governor's three-day schools summit. While most participants at the summit were solidly behind the standards, Osborne and other opponents urged Scott's staff to revisit the standards or at least hold public hearings on them.

"We are looking for Common Core to be stopped in the state — it is a nationalization of our education system," Osborne said. "Our founding fathers didn't intend for that."

Bush has championed the standards as way of raising expectations for students who may not be ready for college or careers.

The appointed board that oversees Florida's public schools has already adopted the new standards and the state is moving ahead to implement them. Elementary schools are already using the standards and the plan is to fully implement them during the 2014-15 school year.

But Scott's decision to abruptly hold the summit last month to look at standards, testing and the state's current grading system raised fears from Common Core supporters that the governor may be rethinking his support.

After the summit, Scott pledged to carry out some of the suggestions but so far the governor has not announced any plans.

The day after the summit, Scott and Bush held a private dinner to discuss education along with State Sen. John Thrasher and the chairman of the State Board of Education. Neither Bush nor Scott have been willing to discuss details. Bush did not respond to e-mail questions about whether he talked to Scott about Common Core.

Bush has not said whether he will run for president in 2016, but if he did his leadership in overhauling Florida's education system would certainly be emphasized.

Thrasher also would not discuss the dinner but said he had no doubts that Scott supports Common Core.

But while Scott remains quiet the polarizing debate over Common Core is shifting to the Legislature. State legislators earlier this year passed a comprehensive education bill that repeatedly endorsed the new standards but now a bill has been filed to scale back the state's efforts.

House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, says he doesn't agree with critics views about Common Core but said lawmakers need to listen to the mounting criticisms.

"''I think Florida's two-decade pursuit of high quality standards and education accountability has been challenged by the controversy over Common Core," Weatherford said in a statement. " It has caused us to take a new, fresh look at the concerns, real and perceived."

That view, however, isn't shared in the state Senate.

Just last Friday State Sen. John Legg, the chairman of the Senate Education Committee, distributed hundreds of pages to senators that contained the new standards. In a memo Legg said he was trying to clear up confusion about Common Core including what he called "misperceptions of federal control over curriculum."

Thrasher said he will fight any efforts to dismantle the standards.

"If you don't favor improved standards I don't know how we can get our kids educated at a world class level," he said.

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